Patti Smith is reading a book by Hungarian author, Dezső Kosztolányi – and Instagram loves it.
Patti Smith is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and poet who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses. On Wednesday she posted that she is currently reading Dezső Kosztolányi’s Pacsirta, translated in English as Skylark.
A portrait of provincial life in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy at the turn of the century, set in the autumn of 1899, Skylark focuses on one extraordinary week in the otherwise uneventful lives of an elderly Hungarian couple. Their ugly spinster daughter, nicknamed “Skylark,” has left them for an unprecedented holiday with relatives in the country. At first, the couple whose entire existence revolves around their daughter, are devastated by her absence. Slowly, however, they rediscover the delights and diversions of small-town society life, finally reaching the shocking conclusion that their daughter is a burden to them. More info on the book here.
The introduction of her copy was written by another leading figure of 20th century Hungarian literature, Péter Esterházy.
This is not the first time Patti Smith has been caught reading something from Hungarian authors – last time it was László Krasznahorkai’s Satantango.
Featured photo via Patti Smith’s Facebook page